As is known, agricultural tractors generally comprise a cabin positioned between the wheels of the rear axle, internally of which a main seat is installed, which can be occupied by the driver controlling and guiding the tractor. In economical models, the cabin can be completely open and possibly equipped with only a roll-bar to protect the driver in a case of overturning. In more sophisticated models, the cabin can instead be made in the form of a true and proper cabin, which generally comprises a cover and a series of transparent lateral panels which enable the driver to have a complete view of the surrounding environment.
Especially when the driver position is a cabin, the internal space of the cockpit is typically also delimited by a series of cladding elements borrowed from the automobile sector, which can integrate the various commands of the agricultural tractor and are able to cover the in-view parts of the chassis or other mechanical structures, so as to improve the aesthetic appeal of the cabin as well as the driver's comfort.
These cladding elements are generally suitably-shaped casings which can be made of a plastic material, for example by hot-forming, and therefore conveniently fixed to the various parts to be covered.
In particular, the cladding elements normally include at least a front dashboard covering the part of the frame that separates the cabin from the engine compartment, and two lateral panels having a substantially arched shape, which are located on opposite sides with respect to the driver's seat and are singly able to cover a respective wheel well, connecting with the external mudguard.
The front portion of at least one of the lateral panels is normally separated and distanced from the front dashboard, so as to leave a strict access corridor which enables the driver to climb into and out of the cabin.
Often associated to the front portion of the lateral panel is an auxiliary seat, which is located internally of the cabin and is destined to be used by a passenger who might need a ride on the agricultural tractor. This auxiliary seat is often completed by a backrest which is located in a substantially vertical or slightly inclined position to the wall of the lateral panel.
Owing to its location, the auxiliary seat is a considerable encumbrance to the access corridor to the cabin, obstructing the driver's and passenger's access to and from the cabin. For this reason, the auxiliary seat is normally reclinable upwards or downwards between a use position, in which it is substantially horizontal and projects from the wall of the panel, and a rest position in which it is arranged substantially vertically and parallel to the backrest, at least partially freeing the access corridor to the cabin.
In the rest position too, the auxiliary seat and the backrest create a certain obstruction, which adds to the encumbrance of the lateral panel and therefore reduces the dimensions of the access corridor and, more generally, the cabin.
As the space available internally of the cabin of agricultural tractors is in itself very restricted, due to the number of structural constraints relating to the type of vehicle, it follows that this extra encumbrance, however modest, constitutes a further significant limitation to the comfort and overall ergonomics of the driver's position as well as a limitation to safety considerations, as it obstructs escape in case of emergency.
A further significant limitation of these auxiliary seats consists in the fact that they are always visible on the lateral panel, thus harming the aesthetic appeal of the cabin.
An aim of the present invention is therefore to provide a solution enabling obviating the limits of the known auxiliary seats, improving the exploitation of the spaces in order to improve comfort, ergonomics and aesthetic appeal of the cabins of agricultural tractors. A further aim is to attain the above-mentioned objective with a solution that is simple, rational and relatively inexpensive.
These and other aims are attained with the characteristics of the invention as set out in the claims.